Steve Biddulph says, ‘love grows the brain’. Steve is right but love is one of those commodities that is in desperately short supply in the homes that many children inhabit. Currently one in three marriages fail. The rate is higher for second and third marriages. People say that kids are better off when unhappy parents divorce, but the social sciences show that the reverse is the case. If parents stick out ...

This week Alison and I completed part one of a five week marriage called The Marriage Kit by Dr Byron & Francine Pirola . . . and you know what? It works! Every year we have always tried to find a course or a seminar to do to fortify our marriage. As Andre Maurois said, “A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day”. Alison and I believe ...

Family Rules are important, but there are some that I regret. Years ago I made a rule about my own conduct, hoping that others (hint, hint) who were then 10, 8, 6, and 3 would follow my family rule. My daughter had not yet been born. The rule was: public offence means public apology. This worked admirably when my second eldest, who was making gunpowder in his mother’s expensive Tupperware, had ...

Morgan Freeman’s words boomed out across the cinema,” This is a story about love, and like most love stories, it begins with utter foolishness.” What were we watching? The latest remake of ‘Gone with the Wind’, or a romantic version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’? No, not exactly. My wife and I were snuggling up together, in the cinema seats, to watch ‘The March of the Penguins’. Snuggling was the proverbial word ...

In a matter of days we celebrate Valentine’s Day by sending a card to the love of our life, buying flowers, chocolates or a host of other things to ‘prove’ our love for our one true love. Some people hate the rampant commercialism whilst others among us go along for the ride. I myself think that any custom that provokes us to keep the flame of love alive has got to ...

Stafano Guazzo said, “Among all the abuses of the world . . . there is none worse than a negligent father”. The scriptures say, “The sins of the father go down to the third and fourth generation”. When fathers go right, families go right. When fathers go wrong families go wrong. The results can be devastating. Author Philip Carlo has written a book called ‘The Ice Man – Confessions of a ...

Home for Dinner is a new book by Anne Fishel that will change your life if you read it. That is a pretty bold statement from a guy who has not read the book yet but I have got my order in. I ordered my own copy after reading Anne’s brilliant article called “Science Says Eat with your Kids”. I have covered this subject in numerous articles over the years, collating ...

Just as today is the first day of the rest of your life, so the New Year 2015 is the first year of the rest of your life. Why not make it the best year of your life? What do I mean by ‘the best’? Well, make it what you want it to be. There are three types of people in the world. Those who ‘make’ things happen, those who ‘watch’ ...

I have been receiving calls from all over the country from happy men and even more joyful wives. The last batch of the 10 week ‘Good to Great Fathering Courses’ are finishing up for the year and I am enjoying the stories of ‘Transformanation’ coming from the men who have completed the fathering course. Let me share a few: I spoke with a father of two who works in the building ...

International Men’s Day 2014 has just been celebrated this week on 19 November. It has been the most successful International Men’s Day ever in regards  to broad media attention. Typically India really takes the lead as far as media commentary goes. It was an Indian man Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, in Trinidad, who started the day but it fell into disrepair.  Thankfully an Indian woman rescued it in 2007. It is because ...

In 1981 I became involved in the men’s movement more by accident than by design. That happy “accident” was one of the best things that happened to me. I started going to men’s groups, men’s weekends and listening to men talk about fatherhood and manhood. I started reading books on manhood, fatherhood, marriage and family. My first son was born in 1981 so it was a good time to start. Having ...

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” could well apply to the team behind the formation of Dads4Kids. Our dream was simply to encourage, resource and inspire dads to be the best fathers in the world for their children. Such projects are easier said than done, but nothing could have prepared us for the hostility to all things ‘father. Our first TV adverts for Father’s Day 2002 were threatened with ...

  Sometimes, when you read a book, it is just a story. Other times the story reaches out and grabs you with both hands and touches your heart. That’s what the book ‘Twice Adopted’ by Michael Reagan © 2004, Broadman & Holman, Nashville USA, did to me when I read it. Mike is the adopted eldest son of Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States of America. He is also ...

We live in an age of astonishing scientific and technological development that has given human beings an amazing number of ways to communicate. However, it could be argued that real communication is taking place less and less. Concurrently, we are facing an unprecedented explosion of knowledge, but it could be argued that we now know less than we ever have, because we are drowning in a sea of information. Information overload, ...

We are all living letters to our children, and our children’s children. This really came through to me at a Fatherhood Success Seminar I recently conducted in Coffs Harbour, NSW. One of the dads at the seminar shared with the group about the 250 letters that his father had written to his mother and brothers and sisters when he was just a baby during the Second World War. Bill’s father was ...

Some parents bring up their children on thunder and lightning, but thunder and lightning never made anything grow. As a dad with strong opinions about injustice and a passion for the truth, I can easily fall into this trap myself. No doubt at times I have. Thankfully my children have forgiven me for my occasional rants. This week, you will have to as well. The topic is ‘Working Together for Men ...

Tarzan’s Grip or Loctite is the best way to glue materials together. Both of these adhesives are commonly called ‘superglues’. But what is the best way to glue families together? Marriage is the superglue that bonds families together like no other adhesive! Marriage protects our children. Marriage guarantees our children’s future. Marriage protects our finances and our children’s finances. Marriage protects men and marriage protects women. Best of all, marriage protects ...

Well I got my card in the mail today, and I don’t mean a Father’s Day card. I am now, according to the NSW Government ‘a senior’. Because so much of our work is voluntary my wife put me in for a seniors card. It gives me some discounts for train travel and a few other privileges but I must admit I preferred my non-senior status, but at 60 my wife ...

You as a father have a lot of reasons to be happy. Each of your children gives you well over a million reasons. Add your wife and family as a total unit and you now have well over a billion reasons to be happy. In the light of all this, being happy on Father’s Day should come easy to you. Could it get any better? We know that we all have ...

Great news! This Thursday 4 September, Aaron Dickson will be coming to Australia as a guest of Dads4Kids to help and inspire Aussie dads. This tour will be called ‘Love Your Children’ Tour (code for fatherhood explosion) – Australia, look out!! We already have Aaron booked in at Sunrise Channel 7 for 7.45am on Friday 5 September, prime time in TV land. Later that morning he will also be on Channel ...